Method and composition for producing a stable and deodorized form of pomegranate seed oil

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method, composition and product by process of pomegranate seed oil. The present invention provides a novel method for the preparation of pomegranate seeds and the subsequent extraction, stabilization and deodorization of pomegranate seed oil. The process maintains key beneficial components of pomegranate seed oil. Effective processing parameters for separating, drying, cleaning, flaking, obtaining the oil from seeds, stabilizing through refining and bleaching and deodorizing the oil are described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Utility patentapplication Ser. No. 11/687,480 filed Mar. 16, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No.7,943,185 that claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/888,763 filed Feb. 7, 2007, and Ser. No. 60/888,762 filedFeb. 7, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

One or more embodiments of the invention relate to novel oil fractionsextracted from Punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit, to the methods andprocesses for preparation thereof, to compositions containing them andthe product created by the method. The invention relates generally to aprocess for isolating stabilized and deodorized pomegranate seed oil.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

There are existing processes for isolating oil from fruit seeds.However, pomegranate seed oil is unique. Cold press techniques forisolating pomegranate seed oil yield an unstable and vulnerable product.The product is readily susceptible to decay and goes rancid withouthesitation. When applied to pomegranate seeds the standard deodorizationand extraction processes for seed oil yields an unstable and readilypolymerized product. The pomegranate seed product extracted usingstandard methods not only has an unpleasant odor but also can form intoa gel-like substance making it difficult to use for a variety ofproducts. Pomegranate seed oil has been described as having an “oddflavor” and a “putrid” or “unpleasant” smell. It is thought the highlevels of the beneficial constituents in the pomegranate seed oil makeit more reactive than other seed oils. Sometimes polymerized oil can betreated with hexane to turn it back into the desirable liquid state.However, this standard technique has proved ineffective with pomegranateseed oil.

Furthermore, since pomegranate seed oil is unstable and goes rancidfairly quickly it minimizes and limits the commercial practicability forthe oil. The unstable and negative odor properties of the pomegranateoil results in a product that has little practical use in commercialproducts such as cosmetics, skin creams, eye creams, dietary supplementsand other medicinal applications. Current processes do not yield auseful pomegranate oil product. The present invention defines a processwherein the negative properties of pomegranate seed oil extraction areameliorated or sufficiently reduced while the beneficial constituents ofpomegranate seed oil remain intact.

Pomegranate seed oil contains approximately 65% punicic acid, aconjugated linolenic acid (9cis, 11trans, 13cis-CLNA) and has beenreported to possess medicinal properties including anti-carcinogenicactivity against breast cancer and skin cancer. The high polyunsaturatedfatty acid content, however, makes this oil extremely susceptible tooxidative rancidity. As a result, extraction and refining processparameters typically employed for edible and cosmetic oils may degradethe pomegranate seed oil.

The benefits of pomegranate seed oil have been reported to act in theareas of immune function, cancer prevention and therapy, cardiovascularhealth, skin health, and healthy lipid metabolism.

Pomegranate seed oil has been mentioned as a treatment for variousailments. It has been shown that pomegranate seed oil has benefits onimmune function. Serum, liver, epididymal, and perirenal adipose punicicacid levels were high with increases in dietary pomegranate seed oillevels. However, punicic acid was not detected in splenocytes for anydietary group. The results suggest that pomegranate seed oil may enhanceB-cell function in vivo.

Pomegranate seed oil has been implicated in the treatment and preventionof various cancers. Anti-carcinogenic and chemopreventive componentshave been found in pomegranate seed oil. Findings indicated thechemopreventive activity of pomegranate seed oil as well as an isolatedHPLC fraction, referred to as peak B. An effect of pomegranate extractson inhibiting prostate cancer cell proliferation has been described. Thestudy shows the interactions of the extracts from three pomegranatecompartments (peels, juice, seeds) in inhibiting prostate cancer cellproliferation, invasion and phospholipase A-2 (associated with invasivepotential) expression. This study indicates the possibilities ofpomegranate as a synergistic drug for the treatment of cancer.

Further studies show the potential and chemopreventive nature ofpomegranate seed oil. Another study discusses the beneficial role ofCLA-rich pomegranate seed oil in colon carcinogenesis. Topicalapplication of pomegranate seed oils has been shown to be an effectivechemopreventive treatment for skin cancer. Another study discusses thepotential of pomegranate seed oil and polyphenols in fermentedpomegranate juice to have an inhibitory effect on oxidation andprostaglandin synthesis, as well as inhibit breast cancer cellproliferation and invasion, and promote apoptosis of breast cancercells. Further studies indicated pomegranate seed oils containingconjugated linolenic acids (CLN) were cytotoxic to human monocyticleukemia cells.

Pomegranate seed oil is also mentioned as a possible treatment for skinrepair. Cosmeceutical applications for pomegranate suggest a potentialfor certain pomegranate fractions for facilitating skin repair, namelyaqueous extracts (especially that from pomegranate peel) for promotingthe repair of dermis, and pomegranate seed oil promoting regeneration ofepidermis.

Pomegranate seed oil has been indicated in the maintenance of healthylipid metabolism and cholesterol levels. The hypocholesteroleamicactivity of LN (linolenic acid) and CLN (conjugated linolenic acid) havebeen described. CLN is found in pomegranate seed oil and it had noeffect on serum cholesterol. CLN and LN significantly decrease hepaticcholesterol but no effect was observed on heart and kidney cholesterollevels. A report indicates that pomegranate seed oil has an effect onlipid metabolism.

Pomegranate seed oil has been shown to have benefits for cardiacproblems and even asthma. A potential role for pomegranate extracts ascardioprotective and an anti-inflammatory medicament for internal and/orexternal applications have been proposed for treatments such as asthma.Fermented pomegranate juice and cold pressed pomegranate fruit extractcan reduce prostaglandin and leukotriene formation by the inhibition ofcyclooxygenase and lipozygenase activities. Leukotriene participates inallergic responses and particularly the bronchoconstriction involved inasthma. Pomegranate fractions have an anti-angiogenic potential. Morecardio info.

The active components of the pomegranate fruit have begun to be isolatedand identified. The presence of estrogenic compounds in pomegranate peelextracts was reported. In this study estrogenic compounds luteolin,quercetin, and kaempferol were detected and identified in thepomegranate peel.

One or more embodiments of the invention maintain the positive qualitiesof the pomegranate seed oil while minimizing and deleting the lessdesirable qualities such as unpleasant odor and a short shelf-life.Hence embodiments of the invention may be referred to generally as aprocess of stabilizing and deodorizing pomegranate seed oil.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to a method, acomposition and a product by process for manufacturing a stabilized formof pomegranate seed oil.

One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to a method forextracting oil from Punica granatum seeds to formulate a stable anddeodorized pomegranate seed oil. The method generally directed to aprocess that involves separating, drying, cleaning, flaking, andselecting a method for obtaining the Punica granatum seeds.

The process of separating is the initial step and generally makes use ofany acceptable method for separating the Punica granatum seeds from amash.

The drying step is accomplished by applying heat to the seeds throughthe use of a forced air dryer or other mechanism for reducing the waterlevel within the seeds. When using the forced air embodiment drying isinitiated for a duration and temperature sufficient to achieve optimalperoxide value and/or optimal free fatty acid content. This is generallyaccomplished by drying the seeds for a set duration of time at a settemperature range. For instance, the drying can occur for a set durationof 3 to 9 hours and the set temperature range may be between 80-110° C.Drying of the Punica granatum seeds may occur by placing Punica granatumseeds at a set depth in a forced air dryer for the set time at a settemperature. The set depth of forced air oven may be ½″. The settemperature may be between 95-100° C. And the set time may range between3 to 5 hours. Generally drying is performed until the Punica granatumseeds contain 5-8% moisture content or less than 8% moisture content.

The cleaning step generally involves cleaning the Punica granatum seedsvia a shaker deck and air aspiration. When air aspiration is used it istypically done under a vacuum of 1.2″ of water. Other methods ofcleaning the seeds are however still within the scope and spirit of theinvention and any such means that accomplishes this goal is acceptable.

Flaking of the Punica granatum seeds comprises tempering the seeds from16% moisture content by applying steam and adjusting the temperature to70° C. Flaking the Punica granatum seeds may produce flakes ofapproximately 0.5 mm in thickness and is accomplished in at least oneembodiment of the invention by pre-heating seeds to 50±3° C. in a cookersection of a cooker pre-press then flaking using a roller gap widthsetting of 0.2 mm.

Selection of a method for obtaining Punica granatum seed oil maycomprise extracting of seed oil from the Punica granatum seeds usingsolvent extraction on a counter-current extractor. The solventextraction may contain the addition of mixed tocopherols to2-methylpentane to minimize oxidation of the oil. Mixing in tocopherolsor other antioxidants may be added at a quantity of 50 to 1,000 ppm.Other natural antioxidants (e.g. Rosemary) or synthetic antioxidants(e.g. BHA/BHT) may also be used. The selecting of method for obtainingPunica granatum seed oil may comprise extracting of seed oil by applyingexternal pressure to the Punica granatum seeds.

Stabilizing of the Punica granatum seed oil generally comprises arefining and bleaching step. Refining may be achieved by causticrefining and/or refining by water washing. Stabilizing of the Punicagranatum seed oil may comprise refining by heating to 65° C. and adding0.1% phosphoric acid, mixing and adding sodium hydroxide at 1 to 4% ofstarting oil weight. Stabilizing of the Punica granatum seed oil maycomprise refining by clarifying mixture by heating to 40 to 90° C. andcentrifuging adding 15% water (w/w) and mixing at 75° C. The stabilizingof the Punica granatum seed oil may comprise refining by recovering oilfrom water wash by centrifugation and involve a bleaching step thatmakes use of bleaching clay or any other acceptable bleaching means.Bleaching may occur by applying heat, adding citric acid and mixing.Stabilizing of the Punica granatum seed oil may make use of bleaching bypre-heating oil to 65° C. The stabilization step may also involvebleaching by adding 0.2% citric acid and mixing for 15 minutes.Achieving stabilization may generally involve bleaching by using acellulose-acetate filter aid and adding clay or activated carbon andmixing for 15 minutes. The bleaching step may involve adding clay at0.5% to 5% or activated carbon at 75-115° C. for 10 to 60 minutes in areactor under full vacuum; and bleaching by cooling oil to 65° C. andfiltering through filter elements.

Deodorizing the Punica granatum seed oil is also part of the process andmay comprise putting the Punica granatum seed oil under vacuum pressureand heating to a set temperature for a set duration of time. Deodorizingof the Punica granatum seed oil involves placing the bleached seed oilunder of vacuum pressure of 18-28 mm Hg, heating the seed oil to atemperature range between 180-210° C. for a range of approximately 30 to120 minutes and steaming and/or nitrogen sparging. A cooling step isthen performed that involves cooling the seed oil to 40-90° C. andfiltering through a coarse filter. An antioxidant mixture of TBHQ,tocopherols, and ascorbyl palmitate may also be added to the seed oil aspart of the process described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the method of isolating and obtaining, stabilizingand deodorizing Punica granatum seed oil.

FIG. 2 illustrates the method of drying the seeds of Punica granatum.

FIG. 3 illustrates the method of cleaning the seeds of Punica granatum.

FIG. 4 illustrates the method of flaking the seeds of Punica granatum.

FIG. 5 illustrates the method of obtaining the seed oil from the seedsof Punica granatum.

FIG. 6 illustrates the method of stabilizing Punica granatum seed oil.

FIG. 7 further illustrates the method of stabilizing Punica granatumseed oil.

FIG. 8 illustrates the method of deodorizing Punica granatum seed oil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following descriptions of one or more embodiments of the inventionare exemplary, rather than limiting, and many variations andmodifications are within the scope and spirit of the invention. Althoughnumerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention, it will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art, that embodiments of the invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well-knownfeatures have not been described in detail in order to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the invention which is directed to processes forthe preparation of pomegranate seeds and the extraction, stabilization,and deodorization of pomegranate seed oil. The processes provide atechnique wherein the beneficial components of pomegranate seed oilremain intact subsequent to processing.

One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to a uniquemethod, composition and a product by process for pomegranate seed oil.

Generally, as depicted in an overview in FIG. 1, the processes of theinvention are characterized by the following steps:

Separating [101], Drying [102], Cleaning [103], Flaking [104], Obtaining[105] by extracting [106] or applying pressure [107], Stabilizing [108],and Deodorizing [109].

These steps are depicted in further detail throughout the application.

SEPARATING. Separating is shown in the first block of FIG. 1 [101]. Oneor more embodiments of the invention involve separating pomegranateseeds from a mash of pomegranate fruit [101].

DRYING. The drying step is shown in block 2 of FIG. 1 [102] and furtherdepicted in detail in FIG. 2 [200]. One or more embodiments of theinvention involve a drying step for purposes of removing moisture fromthe pomegranate fruit seeds from which the seed oil is to be extracted.Moisture removal may be carried out using any acceptable process but isachieved in at least one embodiment of the invention by placingpomegranate seeds in a forced air dryer [201]. Moisture removal mayoccur for a duration and temperature to achieve optimal free fatty acidcontent [202] and/or optimal peroxide value [203]. Moisture removal mayoccur for a set duration of time at a set temperature range [204] andoccur at a set depth in a forced air dryer for a set time at a settemperature [206]. The set temperature range of 80-110° C. [207] isgenerally acceptable for achieving the proper level of drying whendrying is done for a duration of 3 to 9 hours [205]. More specificallybut not by way of limitation moisture removal may be carried out byplacing the pomegranate seeds in a forced air tunnel dryer at a depth of½″ at 100±5° C. for a time of 3 to 5 hours to yield seeds with 5-8% orless than 8% moisture content [208, 209, 210, 211].

CLEANING. The cleaning step is shown in block 3 of FIG. 1 [103] andfurther depicted in detail in FIG. 3 [300]. Dried pomegranate seeds cancontain dried pulp and skin fragments. It is generally beneficial toremove these unwanted materials from the pomegranate seeds via acleaning step. Removal of unwanted dried material is carried out in atleast one embodiment of the invention by placing Punica granatum seedsonto a shaker deck [301]. An air aspirator [302, 304] is also helpfulwhen seeking to remove these unwanted materials. When using an airaspirator application is typically performed under a vacuum of 1.2″ ofwater [303] to yield cleaned dried seed free of pulp and skin fragments.The removal of unwanted material after solvent oil extraction can yieldoil that is lighter in color requiring a less rigorous bleachingregimen. To summarize the removal of unwanted dried material from theseeds may be carried out by placing seeds onto a shaker deck, airaspiration, and air aspiration under a vacuum or 1.2″ of water [301,302, 303].

FLAKING. The flaking step is shown in block 4 of FIG. 1 [104] andfurther depicted in detail in FIG. 4 [400]. The conversion ofpomegranate seed into particles may be referred to as flaking [104,400]. The conversion into particles may occur prior to solventextraction with pomegranate seeds tempered to 12-16% moisture content[401] by using steam and adjusting temperature to 70° C. The flaking mayproduce ˜0.5 mm flakes [402]. Flaking is carried out in accordance withone or more embodiments of the invention by heating the pomegranate seedto a temperature between 47-53° C. [403]. Pre-heating the pomegranateseed to 50±3° C. in the cooker section of a cooker pre-press isgenerally advisable followed by flaking immediately thereafter using aroller gap width setting of 0.2 mm or other setting acceptable toaccomplish the goal of flaking [403]. In the case that seed flakingresults in excessive production of fines the moisture content may beadjusted by applying steam and changing the temperature to 70° C. Forinstance, ideal flaking conditions may produce large consistent flakes,0.50±0.5 mm in thickness and 13.0±0.5% moisture content. From a 325 kgbatch of tempered seed a yield of 310.9 kg of flaked pomegranate seedmay be produced.

OBTAINING. The obtaining step is shown in block 5 of FIG. 1 [105] and infurther detail in FIG. 5 [500]. As used herein, the term “solventextraction” refers to either (1) the process of extracting or (2) anyproduct of the solvent extraction process, based on the common usage ofthe term “extraction” by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Drawing forth of seed oil from flaked pomegranate seed is generallyaccomplished by applying external pressure [107, 503] and/or through theuse of solvent extraction using iso-hexane [106, 501]. For example,2-methylpentane (isohexane) [502] generally serves as a reliable solventfor extracting the seed oil. The drawing forth of seed oil from flakedpomegranate seed may be carried out by solvent extraction using2-methylpentane (isohexane). The solvent extraction may be carried outusing an extractor (such as a Soxhlet) wherein pomegranate seed flakescan be loaded in to the screen sample holder and extracted for fourhours to result in an extraction yield of greater than 95%. The solventextraction may be carried out in 2-methylpentane on a counter-currentextractor (such as Crown) under effective operating conditions. Theeffective operating conditions for a counter-current extractor may bethe following: Flake feed rate 65 Kg/h, Retention time of 60 minutes,Bed level setting at minimum, fresh solvent flow 150±5 Kg/h, Solventtemperature 52±4° C., RFE feed rate 21 pm, RFE steam pressure 13 psi, DTsparge steam off, DT top tray temperature 84±3° C., DT bottom traytemperature 100±2° C. The solvent extraction may contain the addition ofmixed tocopherols to 2-methylpentane to minimize oxidation of the oil.Mixing in tocopherols or other antioxidants may be added at a quantityof 50 to 1,000 ppm. The extraction may yield crude oil that has a PV of0.69, FFA of 1.54%, and Lovibond color parameters (1 inch sample cell)70.0Y and 2.9R.

In one or more embodiments, the tocopherols or other antioxidants areadded to the solvent extraction (for example, the seed oil and thesolvent mixture) immediately after extracting the seed oil using thesolvent.

STABILIZING (refining). The stabilizing step is shown in FIG. 1 [108]and in further detail in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. Stabilizing has two majorcomponents refining, shown in FIG. 6 [601], and bleaching, shown in FIG.7 [701]. One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to aunique process for stabilizing isolated Punica granatum seed oil [108,600, 700]. FIG. 6 depicts further detail of the refining step of thestabilizing process [600]. The general objective in refining is to freethe extracted pomegranate seed oil from impurities and/or unwantedmaterial [601]. The impurities may be caustic, black sediment, orotherwise undesirable material. The process for freeing the impuritiesis generally referred to as refining or caustic refining [602].Stabilizing the Punica granatum seed oil may require caustic refining.Crude oil extracted from pomegranate seed flakes may contain undesirablematerial. The stabilization may involve water washing [603] and requireassessment of the need for refining the oil; Free fatty acid (FFA)values may indicate a need for caustic refinement of the oil. FFA valuesmay be near 1.54% indicating a need for further refinement. Suchrefining is generally carried out by heating the crude pomegranate seedoil to 65° C. and adding 0.1% phosphoric acid. The mixture of crudepomegranate seed oil and phosphoric acid may then be mixed for 15minutes and sodium hydroxide (18 Be) may be added at 1-4% of thestarting oil weight [604]. The mixture may then be clarified [605] byheating to 40 to 50° C. and applying centrifugation [606] to removeundesirable black sediment and other impurities from the oil. After theclarifying 15% (w/w) may be added and mixed for 15 minutes at 75° C.[606]. Oil may be recovered from water wash by centrifugation [607].This process may yield an FFA value of the caustic refined and waterwashed oil of less than 0.5%. The refining process may include awinterization step wherein refrigeration is applied to facilitate waxremoval.

STABILIZING (Bleaching). As previously stated stabilizing requires atwo-fold process of refining and bleaching. FIG. 7 depicts furtherdetail of the bleaching aspect of the stabilizing process [700] whichgenerally lightens or removes color from the pomegranate seed oil [701].This process of lightening or removal of color is generally referred toas bleaching [701]. The bleaching may be carried out using bleachingclay or activated carbon [702], applying heat and adding citric acid andmixing [703] and pre-heating oil to 65° C. [704]. Quantities of 0.2%citric acid are typically effective when mixing [705]. A filter aid(e.g. cellulose acetate) and mixing [706] is also beneficial. Whenadding clay 0.5-5% clay at 75-115° C. for 10-60 minutes in a reactorunder full vacuum [707] is effective. Cooling the oil to 50 to 80° C.and filtering [708] also produces results. While any means for bleachingis acceptable, bleaching is generally carried out in a reactor (such asParr) using various grades of bleaching clay and may undergo thefollowing exemplary steps. Oil may be pre-heated to 65° C. and 0.2%citric acid may be added and mixed for 15 minutes. Trisyl 5615 filteraid (0.2% w/w) may be added and mixing continued for another 15 minutes.Bleaching clay (%3, w/w) may then be mixed into the oil and the reactorsealed. Bleaching may be performed at 95° C. for 30 minutes under fullvacuum. The oil may then be cooled to 65° C. and filtered. The bleachingmay be carried out using bleaching clay such as Tonsil Supreme 124FF andundergo the following steps: Oil can be heated to 65° and 0.2% citricacid added and mixed for 15 minutes. Trisyl 5615 filter aid (0.2%, w/w)can be added and mixing continued for an additional 15 minutes.Bleaching clay (3%, w/w) may then be mixed into the oil and the reactorsealed. Bleaching may be performed at 95° C. for 30 minutes under fullvacuum in a mini-RBD bleaching reactor. The oil may then be cooled to65° C. and filtered. The above mentioned steps may effectively lightenthe color of the oil to achieve Lovibond Y and R values of 2.0 and 0.2,respectively.

DEODORIZATION. Deodorization is shown in FIG. 1 [109] and in FIG. 8 infurther detail [800]. One or more embodiments of the invention make useof a deodorizing step to remove unpleasant qualities of pomegranate seedoil such as its offensive odor when extracted in raw form. Theelimination or prevention of offensive odor of pomegranate seed oil isreferred to as deodorizing. FIG. 8 depicts the process of deodorizing indetail [800]. Deodorizing is generally carried out by placing seed oilunder vacuum pressure (e.g., 18-28 mm Hg [802]) and heating the seed oilto a set temperature (e.g., 180-210° C. [803]) for a set time [801] suchas 30-120 minutes and sparging using steam or nitrogen gas [804, 805].The deodorizing step also involves cooling the seed oil to 40-90° C. andcoarse filtering [806, 807]. An antioxidant mixture such astert-butylhydroxyquinone (TBHQ) at 50-200 ppm, tocopherols at 50-200 ppmand/or acrobyl palmitate at 50-200 ppm [808] is generally helpful. Otherquantities of tocopherol, TBHQ and ascobyl palminate are however alsowithin the scope and spirit of the invention. The elimination orprevention of offensive odor of pomegranate seed oil may be carried outby heating the oil using a heating apparatus and vacuum to a targettemperature range below 210° C. The deodorization may occur by takingbleached pomegranate seed oil under vacuum pressure (28-30 mm Hg) andheating it to a temperature between 180-210° C. for 30 to 120 minutes.The preferred deodorization residence time range is 30 to 60 minutes.

The present invention provides a novel process that allows for thepreparation of pomegranate seeds and the subsequent extraction,stabilization and deodorization of the polyphenol rich pomegranate seedoil.

The present method comprises a number of separate phases, which, takentogether, produce the beneficial result. However, it will readilyappreciated that the division of the method into separate phases is anartificial construct, primarily to aid in the clarity of presenting theinvention, and that various aspects of any particular phase may beperformed out of the described order, or combined with aspects ascribedto other phases, while still obtaining the benefits of the invention.

The method for making pomegranate seed oil includes the processing stepsof separating, drying, air aspiration, flaking, obtaining seed oil,stabilizing which includes refining and bleaching and deodorization.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein “pomegranate seed oil” refers to or means a substancederived and prepared from the components of the pomegranate seed. Thesubstance may be an extract of the pomegranate seed wherein it is apowder, a liquid, a juice, mixed in a solution, a pill, a solid, from araw pomegranate fruit, from a fermented pomegranate fruit. The extractmay contain enhanced polyphenols beyond that which is naturally withinthe extracted substances. The extract may contain enhanced conjugatedlinolenic acids, including but not limited to punicic acid.

As used herein “polyphenols” refers to or means but not is limited to apolyhydroxy phenol; especially an antioxidant phytochemical that tendsto prevent or neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals.

As used herein, the terms “reduces,” “reduced,” or “reducing,” when usedto refer to a particular odor or taste characteristic, refers to anyobservable lessening of that characteristic when the method orcomposition of the present invention is compared to prior art methods orcompositions.

As used herein, the terms “odor,” “smell,” and “scent” refer toolfactory recognition of any particular or group of particular gases.Preferably, the olfactory recognition refers to mammalian, and mostpreferably human, olfactory recognition. Such recognition was determinedby observation by the inventors, and may alternatively be determined bya cross-section of the population or by quantitative or qualitativerecognition devices known to those of skill in the art.

Thus, while embodiments and alternatives have been disclosed anddiscussed, the invention herein is not limited to the particulardisclosed embodiments or alternatives but encompasses the full breadthand scope of the invention including equivalents, and the invention isnot limited except as set forth in and encompassed by the full breadthand scope of the claims herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for extracting seed oil from Punicagranatum seeds to formulate a stabilized seed oil, said methodcomprising: separating Punica granatum seeds; drying said Punicagranatum seeds; cleaning said Punica granatum seeds; flaking said Punicagranatum seeds, wherein said flaking comprises tempering said seeds to12 to 16% moisture content; extracting Punica granatum seed oil fromsaid flaked Punica granatum seeds using solvent extraction process on acounter-current extractor using isohexane mixed with antioxidantsselected from at least one of the group consisting of mixed tocopherols,natural antioxidants, and synthetic antioxidants; and stabilizing saidPunica granatum seed oil.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said dryingsaid Punica granatum seeds is initiated for a duration and temperaturesufficient to achieve a free fatty acid content of less than 0.5%. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein said drying said Punica granatum seedscomprises placing said Punica granatum seeds at a set depth of about ½″,drying at a set temperature of between 80-110° C., and drying for atleast three hours.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said drying saidPunica granatum seeds comprises drying until said Punica granatum seedscontain 5-8% moisture content.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein saidflaking said Punica granatum seeds comprises: pre-heating said temperedseeds to 50±3° C. in a cooker section of a cooker pre-press; and flakingsaid tempered seeds using a roller gap width setting of 0.2 mm.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said stabilizing of said Punica granatum seedoil comprises water washing and caustic refining.
 7. The method of claim6, wherein said caustic refining comprises heating to 65° C. and adding0.1% phosphoric acid, mixing and adding sodium hydroxide at 1 to 4% ofstarting oil weight.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein said waterwashing refining comprises heating to 40 to 50° C. and centrifuging toremove impurities, followed by adding 15% water (w/w) and mixing at 75°C., followed by recovering oil from said water by centrifugation.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: deodorizing said Punica granatumseed oil; and winterizing said Punica granatum seed oil.
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein said deodorizing comprises heating said Punicagranatum seed oil to a temperature range between 180-210° C., coolingsaid Punica granatum seed oil to 40-90° C. and filtering said Punicagranatum seed oil through a coarse filter.
 11. The method of claim 6,wherein said stabilizing of said Punica granatum seed oil furthercomprises bleaching.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said bleachingcomprises applying heat, adding citric acid and mixing.
 13. The methodof claim 11, wherein said bleaching comprises using a filter aid, clayor activated carbon.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said filter aidis selected from cellulose acetate and a synthetic amorphous micronizedsilica hydrogel.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein said bleachingcomprises adding clay or activated carbon to said Punica granatum seedoil at 0.5% to 5% w/w at 75 to 115° C. and mixing for 10 to 60 minutesin a reactor under full vacuum.
 16. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: deodorizing said Punica granatum seed oil; and winterizingsaid Punica granatum seed oil.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein saiddeodorizing comprises placing said seed oil under a vacuum pressure of18-28 mm Hg after bleaching.